This invention relates generally to painting accessories and, more particularly, to manually operated paint mixers of the type used to mix paint in a conventional paint can.
Mixing paint in the conventional can in which it is sold at the retail level is a routine practice immediately prior to use. While a great variety of manually operated and electrically powered mixing devices have been proposed and/or used over the years, the most common such device in used today remains the simple hand stirring stick or paddle, in spite of the well known fact that this most basic method is not only time-consuming and tiresome but can easily lead to spillage and incomplete paint mixing. The shaker-type mixing machines found in paint and hardware stores are impractical for field use, of course, and all electrically powered mixing devices, such as the type driven by a portable electric drill, are unusable at work sites where there is no electricity. Examples of power-driven mixers are found in the following patents:
Some mixers, such as that disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,063 to Eickelmann, are mounted in the chuck of an electric drill and guided entirely by hand in an uncovered paint can. This can lead to spillage as with the simple stirring stick and, worse, can result in splashing of paint onto the user and elsewhere.
Examples of the hand-operated mixers that have been proposed over the years are found in the following patents:
While ostensibly offering advantages of hand tools such as simplicity and low cost, the prior art hand mixers are often overly complex and expensive and/or difficult to set up, use or clean, or not as efficient or effective as desired.
The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages of the prior art with a hand paint mixer comprising, in one embodiment, a circular lid adapted to cover the opening of the paint can, a shaft rotatably mounted to the lid, a hand crank on the upper end of the shaft, and a plurality of Z-shaped blades mounted on the lower end of shaft, the blades each including top and bottom transverse members interconnected by a diagonal member. The bottom transverse members are each attached at one end to the shaft and the top transverse members and diagonal members are spaced from the shaft.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the hand mixer includes a circular lid, a shaft rotatably mounted to the lid, a hand crank on the upper end of the shaft, and a pair of diametrically opposed blades mounted on the lower end of the shaft and extending longitudinally more than half the length thereof, the blades each including a bottom portion having a width nearly equal to the radius of the paint can and further including a relatively narrow portion above the bottom portion. The blades are pivotally connected to the lower end of the shaft for upward pivoting of one of them relative to the other during insertion and removal thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the hand mixer includes a one-piece, snap-on plastic lid with an integral spout and vent, a one-piece shaft with an integral hand crank, and a one-piece, plastic impeller including a plurality of blades. The shaft is rotatably and slidably mounted in a bearing in the lid and has the hand crank integrally formed on its upper end, the crank including a transverse segment and an upwardly extending segment.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide improvements in paint mixers.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved blade shape for a hand paint mixer.
Another object of the invention is to facilitate widespread mixing of paint, particularly at the bottom of the can, with a simple hand tool that is easily inserted and removed.
A further object of the invention is to provide a hand paint mixer of simple construction, low parts count, and low cost.
Yet another object is to provide a hand tool that enables rapid and effective mixing and is easy to set up, use and clean.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.